This invention relates generally to water sprinklers and particularly to water sprinklers for producing a predetermined but variable pattern of water coverage.
In the past, most water sprinklers have been designed to produce but a single pattern of water coverage, generally either circular or rectangular. To conform the pattern of water coverage to the area of a yard, for example, which it is desired to sprinkle, the only variables which can generally be adjusted are the location of the sprinkler and the water pressure received by the sprinkler. However, many yards are irregular in shape, thus making it difficult, if not impossible, to completely conform the pattern of water coverage to the geometry of the yard. Further, in some instances it is desirable to sprinkle only a selected portion of a yard or garden, and yet the pattern of water coverage cannot be accurately conformed to the geometry of the area to be sprinkled. Consequently, either some water must be wasted in covering areas not desired to be sprinkled or the water coverage must be reduced to cover only a portion of the desired area. In either case, the results are not entirely satisfactory.
To generate an irregular pattern of water coverage, it has been proposed to design a water sprinkler whose coverage is defined by a plate having an orifice therein of a geometry corresponding to the geometry of water coverage desired. Thus, the geometry of the orifice defines the pattern of water coverage. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,086, for example.
A problem with the type of sprinkler proposed in the aforementioned patent is that the sprinkler must be disassembled each time it is desired to change the pattern of water coverage. That is, if the pattern of water coverage is to be changed from circular to rectangular, for example, a plate having a circular orifice must be removed and replaced by a plate having a rectangular orifice. As a result, it is inconvenient to change the pattern of water coverage.
The above-noted problems associated with prior water sprinklers make it inconvenient, if not impossible, to vary the pattern of water coverage to substantially conform it to a desired pattern. In addition, much water is frequently wasted by sprinkling water outside the desired area of coverage.